Is Coffee Good for your Health?

Coffee is always a great way of starting your day. But this does not mean it is a safe way of getting the best for the morning drink you need to start your day. Well, you can have your daily cup, but keep in mind that this comes with some risks you would rather avoid. Coffee is capable of altering your Hydrochloric Acid regulation, cause ulcers and IBS and even leads to heart burn, so you better watch out the next time you sip your favorite morning cup, don’t take too much.

Coffee and Hydrochloric Acid

Drinking coffee on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning, stimulates hydrochloric acid production. This can be a problem because HCl should only be produced to digest meals. If your body has to make HCl more often in response to regular cups of coffee, it may have difficulty producing enough to deal with a large meal.

Ulcers, IBS and Acidity

Many of the compounds in coffee like caffeine and the various acids found in coffee beans can irritate your stomach and the lining of your small intestine. It’s known to be a problem for those suffering from ulcers, gastritis, IBS and Crohn’s disease and doctors generally advise patients with these conditions to avoid coffee completely.

Heartburn Problems

Acid reflux and heartburn can be caused by coffee due to the way it relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter. This small muscle should remain tightly closed once you’ve eaten to prevent the contents of your stomach from coming back into the esophagus and burning its delicate lining with hydrochloric acid.

Coffee is a great but controversial drink that most people have to reach for first thing in the morning. As usual, it will give you that morning sobriety you need to start off the day. What’s more, this drink also comes with many advantages, which should not be overlooked for its shortcomings.

Mental note

Is there anything sadder than seeing an aging loved one drastically losing their mental sharpness? You may be powerless to prevent it, but, according to a recent study, coffee may be able to help you from falling into the same trap. Researchers discovered that participants who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had about a 65% decreased chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia later on in life.

Cardiovascular protection

Anybody who’s serious about health knows the importance of a healthy cardiovascular system. What they may not know is that by simply drinking one or two cups of coffee per day they could have a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death.

Risk aversion

Want to lower your risk of death? A National Institutes of Health – AARP Diet and Health study of more than 400,000 people revealed that drinking coffee might be the answer. Between 1995 and 2008, male participants drinking even just one daily cup reduced their risk of death by 6%. Drinking either two to three cups or six or more cups reduced the risk by 10% during the timeframe of the study. The greatest reduction of death risk was 12% in the group drinking four to five cups. Know your limit: five cups.

A cup of coffee during pregnancy may not be the wisest of the choices. But it’s not all that bad if you take it moderately, especially keeping it below 200 milligrams a day. With excessive coffee during pregnancy being linked to miscarriage and low birth weight, the thought of taking coffee at such time will probably freak you out.

Yes, but hold the refills. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends limiting your caffeine consumption to fewer than 200 milligrams (mg) per day. That’s about what you’d get from drinking one 10-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee.

Going over that amount could be risky. Some studies have linked drinking more than 200 mg of caffeine a day with an increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight. And drinking large amounts of caffeine (eight cups of coffee or more a day) has been linked with stillbirth. More research needs to be done to confirm these links, but it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution when you’re pregnant.

Be aware that the amount of caffeine in your cup of coffee will vary depending on the type of coffee and how it’s brewed. The coffee at a restaurant or coffee shop, for example, can range from about 100 mg for a small (8-ounce) cup to over 400 mg for a large (16-ounce) cup, depending on the brand and the brew.